Nottingham Forest are interested in a deal to bring Josh Laurent to the City Ground this summer.

What's the talk?

That's according to a report by Berkshire Live, who claim that, despite Reading having already turned down a seven-figure bid from Forest, as well as the Royals being extremely keen for the midfielder to remain at the Madejski Stadium next season, the 26-year-old could nevertheless be on the move after spending just one season with the club.

The report continues by stating that this is down to the fact that Veljko Paunovic's side are struggling financially, with the money raised from the potential sale of Laurent then being able to fund the manager's own moves in the summer transfer window.

Finally, it is claimed that should Forest, or indeed any other interested party, submit an offer that is deemed an acceptable fee by Reading, the midfielder will more than likely be playing his football elsewhere next season.

Murphy masterclass

Considering just how impressive Laurent was for Reading last season, should Dane Murphy indeed go on to secure a deal for the 26-year-old this summer, it would undoubtedly go down as something of a masterclass by the new Forest CEO.

Indeed, over his 45 Championship appearances last term, the £1.8m-rated man scored three goals, provided three assists and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 0.7 shots and making 0.5 key passes per game.

The central midfielder also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 1.4 interceptions, two tackles, 0.9 clearances and winning 5.1 duels per match.

These returns saw the man Paunovic dubbed a "fantastic" player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.85, ranking him as the Royals' joint ninth-best performer in the second tier of English football.

Futhermore, with the future of Joao Carvalho appearing somewhat up in the air at present, and the midfielder having failed to live up to his £13.5m transfer fee at the City Ground, it could well be time for Forest to cut their losses on the £15k-per-week man, with his potential departure then freeing up both room and funds to get a deal over the line for the £3.2k-per-week Laurent.

Indeed, if Murphy were to pull that off in what remains of the summer transfer window, we would be happy to admit that the chief executive is something of a genius.

In other news: Bye-bye Bong: Murphy must sanction NFFC swoop for £8.9k-p/w gem, he won't cost a penny